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Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Nature Notes: Mid January looking better

We had a pretty cold December and early January but starting on Sunday we've had much better weather, although yesterday was overcast and rainy as is today.

Sometimes my nature notes could be called my weather report but weather is certainly a factor in nature.

When I say warmer, I'm talking about 40s F (4 C) during the day and 30s F (-1 C) at night but that's a big improvement. The weekend will be 20s F (-6 C )at night but 40s during the day which is pleasant to me.

Usually for nature notes, I start with photographs from the day after last week's nature notes and move chronologically to the day I am writing the post.

I'm using photographs I've taken since my last nature notes post but I'm mixing them up so it won't be one bird right after the other.

The shots that don't include birds or a squirrel were taken Sunday at Shelley Lake which was the first pretty day with the temperatures well above freezing. The other shots jump around amongst the past 6 days.

There is ice in the lake walk shots because the night temperatures were still cold and it hadn't been above freezing long enough to melt all the ice. Yesterday the rain finally washed away all the ice on my deck.

I guess I should I.D. some of the birds. The second photo is of a brown thrasher, the fourth photo is a flicker, the sixth photo is a tufted titmouse, and below is a nuthatch biting off more than it can chew.

We haven't had very many blue skies lately so it was fun to get such a big splash of blue on Sunday before the clouds moved back in.

I am enjoying the nuthatches so much. They are such speedy fun birds to watch.

I have a fondness for squirrels who are great acrobats but also know how to enjoy a good meal.

I rarely get a shot of the waxwings which show their yellow markings like the one below.

The robins have been showing up more, lately, for a drink of water on my deck.

The look on the brown thrashers face in the shot below cracks me up.

If you look closely you may spot the little bird in the tree below that almost looks like part of the branch.

I guess I'll stop with a blue jay taking in the view from my pine tree.

Click for the home of Nature Notes. I'm posting early as I sometimes do. UPDATE - After making it sound so much warmer, I went to the post office in a light rain coat this morning since it's raining. I was freezing and wished I'd worn a sweater. I heard on the radio that it was 33 F (0.55 C). Although that beats 20 F and snow, unlike the birds I have the option of wearing a sweater with my raincoat, an option I should avail myself of.

It sounds like a great week for you , especially with the ice finally melting off your deck. You do live in a lovely place with so many little feathered friends and the squirrel and a wonderful lake for long walks on level ground.

Nice mild winters temps for you this last week, perfect for being out and about.

Here in southern coastal VA it is supposed to be in the upper 40's and low 50's in January... yesterday was the first NORMAL day in a couple of weeks and only the 2nd one since Thanksgiving. 2+ inches of rain caught the yearly average up... I guess it usually rains quite a bit in January here. Still, I haven't been able to get the bulb planter to cut into the ground in most places yet. Who knows.. last year our first BIG (10 inches plus) snow was January 30th.

Its pretty amazingly cold and snowy in South Carolina, too. Hoping for some warm but we're expecting yet more snow. Your photos are beautiful, but the subject matter are masterpieces all on their own!Sandi

Your weather looks like a summer vacation to me! I like the photo of the robin and it reminded me that in yesterday's paper there was an interesting article about how the robins will stay north if they can find food. The robin count for this winter is as high as it's ever been.

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Me and my blogs . . .

I like to take photographs and I use blogging as a way to share my photography. I started blogging for other reasons but no longer feel the need or have the desire to write beyond a narrative for my photography.